2023 is a year where phone brands focus their flagship smartphones towards professional photography — Samsung and HONOR are no exceptions.

Samsung headlines the Galaxy S23 Ultra with its astronomic 200MP camera. That’s with the inclusion of three more cameras. On the other hand, HONOR offers a completely different setup for the Magic5 Pro: triple 50MP cameras to be exact.

While the phone’s naming superlatives don’t actually feel like they are the direct competitors of one another (as HONOR also has the Magic5 Ultimate), this is still the best comparison we can deliver to you because the latter is China-exclusive.

Best of both worlds

Just like in other camera shootouts, it would be amiss not to talk about the specific camera hardware these two smartphones possess.

	HONOR Magic5 Pro	Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Wide	50MP f/1.6 1/1.12” sensor size OIS + Laser AF + Multi-directional PDAF	200MP f/1.7 1/1.3” sensor size OIS + Laser AF + Multi-directional PDAF
Ultra-Wide	50MP f/2.0 122º FoV	12MP f/2.2 120º FoV
Telephoto	–	10MP f/2.4 3x optical zoom
Periscope	50MP f/3.0 3.5x optical zoom	10MP f/4.9 10x optical zoom
Selfie	12MP f/2.4 100º ToF 3D (depth + biometrics)	12MP f/2.2 –
Others	Rear ToF 3D (depth) Up to 4K/60fps	– Up to 8K/30fps

Aside from the obvious difference in megapixel count, the wide camera of the HONOR Magic5 Pro is slightly brighter at f/1.6 (versus f/1.7). Moreover, the Magic5 Pro has an overall bigger pixel count in its ultra-wide and periscope lenses.

I just find it weird how HONOR decided to choose a “periscope” camera that only zooms in optically at 3.5x. Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 10x periscope zoom lens with a separate 3x telephoto zoom shooter. Of course, both phones are capable of up to 100x digital zoom.

Lastly, the HONOR contender is equipped with a ToF 3D sensor on its front and back for depth (plus biometric scanning through Face Unlock). While the Galaxy S23 Ultra doesn’t have one, it can record videos up to 8K/30fps whereas the HONOR maxes out at 4K/60fps.

Wide (1x)

On paper, their main cameras seems like a day and night difference — but is that actually the case when they almost share the same lens opening minus the inclusion of 1-inch camera sensors?

W1

W2

W3

W4

W5

Ultra-Wide (UWA)

Choose your weapon: 122-degree + f/2.0 aperture or a 120-degree Field of View + f/2.2 ultra-wide camera?

Lastly, 50MP versus 12MP?

U1

U2

U3

U4

U5

Zoom (3~3.5x)

As already stated, the HONOR Magic5 Pro rocks a 3.5x periscope shooter while Samsung is equipped with a telephoto lens that zooms in to 3x. But which is actually the better deal?

Z1

Z2

Z3

Z4

Z5

Farther Zoom (10x)

As previously mentioned, HONOR markets its 3.5x lens as “periscope”. Meanwhile, Samsung’s periscope is rather farther at 10x. While having that huge optical zoom gap, this doesn’t mean we can’t do a comparison as the HONOR can do its “Magic” using its periscope shooter.

P1

P2

P3

P4

P5

Night Mode

Shooting low-light photos using Night Mode is and will always be the dealbreaker in every camera shootout we make. Proven over many write-ups, Samsung is notorious for its bright night AI algorithm and post-processing techniques. But can you even tell which is which?

N1

N2

N3

N4

N5

BONUS: Faces

The closest camera spec we could have are the selfie cameras of each phone. But actually, one has the advantage of having an ultra-wide angle lens. Also, there’s a lone comparison which showcases how each phone shoots portrait subjects.

B1

B2

B3

BONUS: Farthest Zoom (Day)

In this comparison we’re going past 10x to actually know how each model performs when it comes to digital zoom.

B4 (30x)

B5 (50x)

BONUS: Farthest Zoom (Night)

I also did the same comparison during the night to actually test out how each phone can withstand the lack of ample light when taking zoomed shots.

B6 (10x)

B7 (30x)

B8 (50x)

Results

Confused with your picks? Well, you’re not alone. Even I had a hard time determining photos side by side.

Photo A – HONOR Magic5 Pro

Photo B – Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Conclusion

For the most part, you would barely distinguish the differences between each phone’s camera quality since they both looked similar. But in other shots, the Galaxy S23 Ultra still has that distinct saturation-boosting among its samples that Samsung always does in its phones (refer to W5 / U3 / U5 / Z5 / P5 / N2 / B5).

But to my surprise, the HONOR Magic5 Pro also delivered an almost equal ratio of photos that lean more towards the warmer and more saturated spectrum (W1 / U2 / Z1 / Z2 / Z4 / N1 / N4 / B6).

When it comes to HDR, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has the obvious advantage by not bumping up the shadows too much while still preserving the highlights of each photo taken. On the other hand, the Magic5 Pro delivered photos that has an overall brighter exposure — which honestly isn’t my cup of tea (W1 / W2 / W3 / W4 / U2 / U4 / P5 / B4 / B5). It’s either caused by the larger f/1.6 aperture or just HONOR’s HDR algorithm.

Zoomed shots in 3-3.5x look crisp and clear on both phones but if you go past the 10x mark, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra easily beats the HONOR Magic5 Pro with its dedicated 10x periscope zoom lens. With the provided moon shots, well, Samsung isn’t safe from the previous fake moon AI controversy so I’ll leave the judgments to you.

Lastly, selfies are down to your personal preference. In my opinion, the HONOR Magic5 Pro overtakes the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra especially because it has an even wider lens plus a ToF 3D sensor for both portrait depth and biometric scanning (or Face Unlock). The compromise is just the longer pill-shaped cutout instead of the Galaxy’s cleaner punch hole camera.

In today’s smackdown, vivo and Xiaomi go on head-to-head with their “Pro” flagships.

While both smartphones were unveiled in China during the last quarter of 2022, they were announced globally at the earliest months of 2023.

The vivo X90 Pro and Xiaomi 13 Pro are different in many ways but also very similar.

Both sport a very similar 1-inch Sony IMX989-based wide camera sensors — just different in aperture count.

Both also have partnerships with renowned lens manufacturers — ZEISS for the vivo X90 Pro and Leica under the Xiaomi 13 Pro.

Lastly, both have a long legacy of excellence.

But which of these Pro flagships is your GadgetMatch?

Both Samsung and Xiaomi started 2023 by announcing each of their latest flagship-grade smartphones totally focusing on professional photography.

As early as February 2023, Samsung made some jaws drop with the Galaxy S23 Ultra and its monstrous 200MP main camera based from the recent in-house ISOCELL HP2 sensor.

Just a month after, Xiaomi stole the spotlight and finally introduced the Xiaomi 13 series to the rest of the world in Barcelona at MWC 2023 — even though it was unveiled in China a little bit early last December 2022.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro specifically adopted the 1-inch Sony IMX989 camera sensor plus LEICA optics that debuted on last year’s China-exclusive Xiaomi 12S Ultra (and nope, not the one with a detachable Leica lens system).

200MP camera or 1-inch sensor?

Before going further, let’s take a deep dive into these cameras’ specific imaging systems.

	Xiaomi 13 Pro	Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Wide	50MP f/1.9 1.0” Sony IMX989 Dual Pixel PDAF Laser AF, OIS	200MP f/1.7 1/1.31” Samsung ISOCELL HP2 Multi-directional PDAF Laser AF, OIS
Ultra-Wide	50MP f/2.2 115º 1/2.76″ Samsung JN1 AF	12MP f/2.2 120º 1/2.55″ Samsung IMX654 Dual Pixel PDAF
Telephoto	50MP f/2.0 1/2.76″ Samsung JN1 3.2x optical zoom PDAF	10MP f/2.4 1/3.52″ Sony IMX784 3x optical zoom Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
Periscope	—	10MP f/4.9 10x optical zoom Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
Selfie	32MP f/2.0	12MP f/2.2 Dual Pixel PDAF

Aside from the main (wide) cameras and slightly distinct apertures as the huge differentiators of the two phones, the Xiaomi 13 Pro boasts two more 50MP cameras with the same Samsung JN1 image sensors for its ultra-wide and telephoto shooters.

Meanwhile, Samsung is stuck to its 10MP or 12MP cameras with smaller sensors (and even a lower aperture for its telephoto lens). Still, it features Dual Pixel PDAF + OIS that the Chinese phone doesn’t have.

The bonus would be the periscope lens of the Galaxy S23 Ultra that the Xiaomi 13 Pro lacks. As for selfies, well, that’s preferential regardless of which phone has the best “spec” on paper (more on that later).

Fair and square

This camera shootout is divided into four parts with a bonus section at the very end. I’ve carefully curated my picks and selected thirteen (13) photos for each category (except the bonuses) which I deemed best in terms of composition, as well as for comparison.

To keep things level on this camera shootout, I opted to use Xiaomi 13 Pro’s Leica Vibrant over the Leica Authentic look (less-saturated). This is to match Samsung’s imaging algorithm, leaning more towards the saturated side. There’s no in-between as Xiaomi doesn’t let you turn them off.

Disclaimer: Just like our previous camera shootouts, photos were all taken in Auto Mode. These images were collaged, resized, and labeled for faster loading and preview. No other manipulations were applied.

Wide

200MP or 1-inch? But before you whine, I only used the usual Auto Mode and not the special 200MP / 50MP Pro camera modes (or Expert RAW, idc) of both phones to make the battle as fair as possible.

W1

W2

W3

W4

W5

W6

W7

W8

W9

W10

W11

W12

W13

Ultra-wide

While Xiaomi boasts its 50MP sensor and Samsung relies on its 12MP camera, both phones feature a sufficient f/2.2 lens opening.

But with a five-degree (5º) difference between each phone’s FoV (Field of View), this might make or break your succeeding photo picks.

U1

U2

U3

U4

U5

U6

U7

U8

U9

U10

U11

U12

U13

Zoom

I only focused on using the respective 3.2x and 3x telephoto lenses of both flagships as Xiaomi lacks a dedicated periscope zoom lens.

But to make it fair for Xiaomi, I managed to squeeze it in a little bit to 3.2x on the Galaxy S23 Ultra in most (if not all) photos.

Z1

Z2

Z3

Z4

Z5

Z6

Z7

Z8

Z9

Z10

Z11

Z12

Z13

Night Mode

Lastly, this section will further prove if the 50MP 1-inch camera sensor can break its rival’s 200MP camera with a smaller 1/1.31″ sensor when it comes to low-light scenarios with Night Mode processing and AI algorithm turned on.

N1 (Ultra-wide)

N2 (1x wide)

N3 (Zoom)

N4 (1x wide)

N5 (Ultra-wide)

N6 (Zoom)

N7 (Zoom)

N8 (Zoom)

N9 (Ultra-wide)

N10 (Ultra-wide)

N11 (1x wide)

N12 (1x wide)

N13 (Zoom)

BONUS: Farther zoom

Since Xiaomi lacks a dedicated 10x periscope zoom lens, I just made a bonus section to at least showcase how it performs past its 3.2x zoom mark against Samsung’s ultra-zoomification of every photo subject it sees at a farther distance.

B1 (7x zoom)

B2 (10x zoom)

B3 (Low-light 10x zoom)

BONUS: Faces

Crucial to some (or most of you) are portraits and selfies. While I don’t shoot much of these to begin with, it still needs to be pointed out which phone is the best when it comes to capturing the human flesh and mankind.

B4 (1x wide)

B5 (Daylight selfie)

B6 (Night selfie)

B7 (Beauty OFF)

B8 (Beauty ON)

Results

Were you conflicted with your picks? The inconsistencies don’t mean I shuffled the photos. Here are the respective results:

Photo A — Xiaomi 13 Pro

Photo B — Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Conclusion

The Galaxy S23 Ultra sticks to its usual brighter, vibrant, and warmer look. But as I always say in my write-ups, a brighter, more vibrant photo doesn’t mean it’s the better photo.

Still, I liked how it gave enough contrast and better dynamic range in some shots. Albeit, the Galaxy S23 Ultra still tries to over-sharpen its images just to show it takes the clearer photos.

However, Xiaomi overall leans more towards the cooler, less bright, and less saturated side — but they’re actually closer to what I see in real life. Although there were times when Xiaomi has gone nuts with its AI algorithm (refer to W5, W7, W9, W12, W13, U3, U5, Z8, Z10, N7, N8, N9, N10).

There aren’t much of a difference in terms of Depth of Field. Xiaomi’s 1-inch sensor helped, more so with the larger f/1.7 aperture on the S23 Ultra.

But with that 1-inch camera sensor, I felt that shutter rapidness even at low-light shooting conditions. That’s why even if Night Mode photos turned out to be on the darker side, Xiaomi shoots faster in just under a second whilst still clearer in detail (N11, N12, N13).

This is where you can’t fully utilize the S23 Ultra’s 200MP camera. In Auto Mode, Samsung’s AI switches to a lengthy 2-4-second Night Mode if it detects a low-light subject. In photography, those few seconds are enough to capture light data. But clearly, Galaxy S23 Ultra’s longer shutter duration contributes to a photo’s blurriness — even if I don’t have shaky hands.

Selfies on both phones are, again, preferential. What surprised me more is the fact that the Xiaomi 13 Pro can keep up with the Galaxy S23 Ultra in terms of zooming in farther than 3.2x. This is just one testament that a bigger sensor shoots clearer photos.

Does megapixel count really count?

Aside from having that ~intentional pun~, I have a serious takeaway on this.

In my years of working under GadgetMatch, I’ve held numerous pro-grade cameras and smartphones with advanced imaging systems. But even before work, my interest (other than smartphones) has always been photography.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by @vincenzlee

The best answer I could convey is by quoting TheUnlockr in the Galaxy S23 Ultra: YouTubers’ React video I edited back in February:

“I don’t think 200MP is important. I’d rather (have) a bigger sensor”

Megapixels vs sensors

Now before casual shooters, megapixel apologists, and naysayers fight me (and David Cogen), the reason why the size of an image sensor matters more than how millions of pixels you get from a single camera is all about how you get the best image quality possible.

The only main advantage I can see when using a 200MP camera (or even so the used-to-be headliner 108MP) is the ability to keep all the details even if you crop the photo in (especially landscapes). But professionals barely crop as close as 50~100x. Photographers already have a composition in mind right before hitting that shutter release.

Michael Josh even demonstrated how the Galaxy S23 Ultra was able to capture the amazing New York skyline with its 200MP feature — but that took a while to process.

Now, the real deal is when your smartphone is equipped with a 1-inch image sensor. Aside from no sensor cropping, detail preservation, and wider dynamic range, day and night shooting are a LOT faster. To most, it won’t matter. But for photographers, every second counts the moment they click that shutter button.

A gimmick?

I can now say that a 200 million pixel camera isn’t a “flagship-exclusive” feature anymore, rather gimmicky. That’s because Redmi recently released the Note 12 Pro+ 5G — a midrange smartphone with a 200MP main camera as its main selling point.

SEE ALSO: Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G review: Midrange Madness

200MP and 1-inch sensor combo?

Pairing a 200MP with a 1-inch sensor might sound like an easy-peasy technological amalgamation, but it is more complicated than what it seems — and might just be an abomination to the camera industry.

Not only does it still rely on the computing and imaging power of both the CPU and NPU, imaging companies will also need more time for research and development in making this a consumer-ready product.

But imagine all the possibilities if either Samsung or Sony creates a 200MP smartphone camera with a 1-inch sensor underneath? Even though I said 1-inch sensors hasten the time you take photos, that would be a huge overkill and will still take a lot of processing and every technological power it needs to process such a huge chunk of immaculate 200MP image data.

Lower MP count on ‘pro-grade’ cameras

This is why to this day, there are barely any industry-grade cameras boasting more than the 100MP megapixel count. They go to more medium format cameras such as the 400MP multi-shot Hasselblad camera as well as the Fujifilm GFX100 and GFX100S, among others.

Heck, 61MP is even the largest megapixel count for any full-frame camera out there: the Sony a7R IV and a7R V. Even when we look at Xiaomi’s exclusive photography partner Leica, the most it has is the 60.3MP-equipped Leica M11. There’s still plenty of room for innovation — both in the perspective of industy-grade photography and mobile photography.